Gifted Gifting

Here is a little slice of my life for yall.

My indulgence for myself this month was 2 books on the PNW, the setting of most of my (full length) stories. A book about the flora and fauna and the geology of the area. The other was an adult coloring book of the same.

Do you know they don't have fireflies as we know them throughout that region? I'm so glad I researched that before I included them in a pastoral scene! I really was looking to see when they appear there, being that region is north of me, and happily saved myself from an inaccuracy. (So happy!)

Anyway, it made me think since so many of my stories are in that setting, I needed a good reference book at hand. (Google leads me down too many rabbit holes.)
I thought the coloring book would help me become more familiar with the wildlife especially if I use the pictures in the other book as guidelines. Easier for descriptions and environments and other details.

So, I ordered the books.

Now, you may know I have a granddaughter.
This beautiful child (while I can still get away with calling her that-- she's about to turn 15.) If you've followed this blog, or looked at many of my pictures on Facebook, you have seen this child's work.
She is as gifted in her art as I am in mine (I say modestly)
Her art is not the same as mine.
I draw my scenes with words.



She actually draws her scenes.

For a long time now, she has mostly drawn people. Anime to start. Actually it was Sponge Bob to start, almost as soon as she could walk and talk, and hold a pencil, pen, crayon, or chalk. But she has advanced past sponge bob, and even passed beginner's anime.

She drew a couple pictures of her mother, from photographs. So lovely.

She has tried landscapes.

She can't help what colors and lines flow from her fingertips any more than I can do more than direct the barrage of words that flow through mine.


She was with me this weekend, and I showed her my coloring book, and while looking through it she seems to have fallen in love with the pictures. You could almost see her mind adding in the colors -- with her alcohol based markers, specifically. So she instantly knew the medium she'd use, and was applying colors as I arrange words at such times.

It's not often our gifts arrange themselves in such harmonious fashion., and those times will become even more rare as we both age.

Perhaps someday she will illustrate my books.
Or create backdrops or CGI images for productions of said books.
What a nice family connection that would be for future generations.

So
Happy Birthday (early) Hailey, and ENJOY.
Enjoy using your Gift with my gift to you.




And I'm gonna buy another coloring book.

Hailey's thought

Warren came toddling across the living room with a jar of baby food in one hand, a spoon in the other, and a big grin on his face.
"Mammaw, I think he's hungry."

Hailey opened her eyes this morning, saw the sun shining in the windows and said "Mammaw, outside is back."

pappaw's tv

Warren came into the house, saw Rex's tv on the floor, walked over to it, hugged it, and said "Mine."

broken Hair

Warren cracks me up. Trying to get him to go to sleep, and he's running out of excuses. So he comes up with his hair is broken.
Told him it would be better in the morning.
In a dead serious voice he tells me " My hair is BROKEN. I need a doctor."

Too green

Storm woke Hailey at daybreak. After a lot of "whatzat? Whatzat? Whatzat?" she decided waking up that early meant she needed juice. Thank goodness Tracy had made koolaid after we went to bed, so I got her some
A few minutes later, she came to me and said, "Mammaw, I can't drink that. It's too green."

rough play with Josh.

Comment on a facebook post:

Josh O'Toole

I always remember one time I didn't want to play a big rough game and I thought I would make a big joke by making a "Roots" reference, saying that we would play a game called "Toby" - I told the girls you played by I would hit you and throw you and pummel you and keep asking what your name was and I wouldn't stop hitting you until you told me your name was 'Toby' - the only rule of the game was, you were not allowed to tell me your name was Toby.
Tammy immediately said "I don't want to play."
Tracy said "Well, just don't hit me too hard, ok?"

Missing Your Kids.

     I'm really missing your kids right now, kiddo.

Haven't seen or talked to them since Thanksgiving. They didn't even call me or text me to say Happy Birthday. (Christmas was sad, and they hadn't called me then, either, but there's no grudge there. I'm the one who had to cancel at the last minute.)Between the weather, my health, and my car's condition, I just haven't been able to get there. Seems like I'm farther away now than when you were in Georgetown and we were in Winchester.

    There's no "we" anywhere now for me, not in Winchester, not in Bethel, not in our 'hub' of Mt. Orab. Tracy's miles away (good for her; I'm proud), and you and your daddy are gone. 

    I miss you, but this last few months I've finally begun adjusting to that. It's been a long hard pull, almost three years, but maybe I'm finally getting on. I guess I hope so, anyway. 

    It's those strange weeks between my birthday and yours,(also known as February) with Valentine's Day smack in the middle. That's always been a pleasant time for us, although I can't say anything specific that we've regularly done or shared. It's just that somehow, the month of February, at least right now, seems like the time we have usually been closest, as a matter of routine. 

    That probably doesn't make much sense, because it's really hard to explain. Mostly because I don't understand it myself. Maybe because it's one of those delusions that sneak up when one is bereaved. I don't know.

    I miss you, but I know there's nothing to be done about that, except cherish memories and share photographs, I suppose.

    And try to see your kids. I want to hear them and hug them so badly.  Hopefully soon I'll be well enough and it will be warm and dry enough for me to make the drive.

    In the meantime, you know if no one else does how often and how yearningly I think of them. 

And you.   

Be happy, my dear, wherever you are, in whatever form your energy is in.

I love you and miss you still.

Christmas 2015

Tammy got me a camera for Christmas! Sadly, the battery pooped out after only three of so pictures, and it was too dark in the house to take decent phone pictures.
Hailey's doll house was overshadowed, for her, by a pink wig and a desktop easel. She also got a magnificent FROZEN drawing set from her Mommy, which rather overwhelmed her. She didn't make much of it, to Mommy's disappointment (Mommy worked hard to get that for her the store almost sold out and we has only seen them in that one store.) But when Mommy wasn't looking, she kept going back and looking at it, and touching the different elements (paints, crayons, stickers) through the package. She knew she wasn't going to be able to thoroughly enjoy it yet, so she sort of set it aside.
Warren's first gift he opened was a truck Hailey got for him, and he pretty much didn't care for those other packages. He had a brand new, rolling, noise making truck! Mommy ended up opening most of his packages for him while he played with his new truck.
He did get momentarily distracted by a set of tools, with a wrench and a drill -- the wrench wasn't big enough to open his sippy cup, though.
He also got one of those things where you put a ball at the top and it rolls down and around and he played with that for a long long time.
He got another truck with a tool kit on the back (boy did all those Santa know what lil boy would like?) that also made noise, and he carried that around for a minute, then parked it in the doll house, which gave all us grown ups a good laugh. Hailey barely glanced at it, and here Warren was turning it onto a parking garage! The joke was on us.
Hailey got a purple cheetah jacket that she fell i n love with and Warren got some building blocks to stack -- Ta Da!-- and they got other stuff but those are the highlights.
Of this morning. And for me; my perspective.
Would like to add that this was only possible with a lot of help from a lot of santas, and this is a way of publicly thanking them. Only they know who some of them are.

Hailey was SICK! Sept 16, 2019

My goodness what a day!
Hailey is without a doubt her mother's daughter, in the realm of general health.
Hailey has had a sore throat/cold since late Sunday. Last night her jaw and neck started hurting and she hasn't been able to eat.
So Tam made her a Dr appointment, even though she had no fever or anything. We were thinking ear or sinus infection was making the jaw hurt.
She has strep throat and tonsillitis. Her right tonsil is so swollen it was displacing the uvula. The left tonsil is also swollen, not as much, but it is nearly touching the right tonsil.
Pretty well on the way to blocking her airway.
Swelling around the right tonsil Concerned them about an abscess and there was talk of ENT and Children's. Five Mile and Downtown. Tam hadn't been to bed yet after working last night.
They sent us straight to the ER in mt Orab. The Dr there ( Dr Gries) decided there is no abcess at this time and we've been saved, for now, from the longer trip. Hopefully it will not become necessary and the antibiotics will work quickly and effectively.
Just like Tammy, when this child gets sick, she gets SICK.
(AT office they looked at her record and said has it really been she hasn't been here since 2017? Yeah, because she doesn't get sick)
Poor thing is miserable with squeaky little voice and lots of hurting.
Man, she has my respect for not being a whiny ass puling little crybaby.

Keys to the Kar

 Do you remember this, Tammy? How stoopid I felt when we finally figured it out, and how we giggled tekking the sroty to others. 

I'm so glad to have these memories to look back on. 

I just wish you were still here to laugh with me.

I am such an IDIOT! 

Or maybe just brain dead. 

Took Tammy to Kroger and decided at last minute to take her car. So we went to the store, came back out, and got in. I took keys off the keyring and put in ignition, but the key would not turn. It would not go forward, backward, jiggle up or down or anything. 

We called home and David told us to do all the stuff we had already done. It still didn't work. 

Ended the phone call and Tammy was still trying to get it to work. 

I started to say something about all the jiggly things maybe weighing it down too much, when I suddenly noticed that there were NO jiggly things. So I checked my keyring.

Yup. That's what I did. 

Sitting in a hot parking lot with the sun beating down on us, we were trying to start the Escort with keys belonging to the Crown Vic.
(On the plus side, they didn't work. That's always good to know.)

toys for Two August 24, 2013

Put baby Warren on floor this morning and got toys from the toybox for him.
Hailey immediately hollered "Those are my toys!"
I said, "Yes, but you have to share."
She said "Okay" and sat down and started playing with him and them.

They Might Be Spiders :May7, 2018

Hailey was doing a quiz thing and the question was : do you make decisions about others based on their appearance .
She asked me what that meant and I said do you judge others by how they look.
She turned back to computer and chose "yes", then turned back around to me and said, " yes, because they might be spiders."
Well, the question just said others, not other people.
Still baffled

shop with a cop.

Country Inn Mt. Orab
December 19, 2017 ·

Fifty police cars, lights flashing and sirens wailing, filled the parking lot at the Country Inn Restaurant in Mt. Orab early Tuesday morning.
The occasion was the seventh annual Brown County Shop with a Cop event, and the 50 police officers from 13 different law enforcement agencies from Brown and Highland counties were bringing students from around the county to breakfast.
The Shop with a Cop program pairs students from around the county who are in less fortunate circumstances with a local police officer. The police officer and the student, along with a chaperone, spend the day together shopping for Christmas presents and enjoying a variety of activities.
The Brown County Shop with a Cop program was started in 2011 by Mt. Orab police officer Mike Dearing, who was then with the Sardinia Police Department.
Dearing said that when he was nine years old, he was selected to participate in a Shop with a Cop program, and it changed his life.
“From that day forward I knew that I wanted to be in law enforcement,” Dearing said. “I know this program works and can be really beneficial. If it hadn't been for that day when I was nine, I might not be on this side of the badge.”
The students, who were selected to participate in the program by their school administrators, began their day with a procession in police cars from the police department to the Country Inn. After breakfast, the procession continued to the Hillsboro Walmart, where each child received $500 to spend on himself or herself for Christmas.
After shopping, the students were treated to lunch at Dakota Steakhouse and video games and a movie at Star Cinemas in Hillsboro.
The next stop was the Georgetown Church of Christ, where everyone enjoyed a dinner provided by La Rosas, and the police officers and volunteers wrapped the presents, which will be delivered to the children on Christmas.
Kroger donates a Christmas dinner for the families of the participants in the program.
Country Inn manager Amanda Hensley said that the restaurant participates in the program because it is a really great experience for the students.
“Obviously, this is really wonderful for these kids,” Hensley said.
Hensley said that the restaurant donates the food for the breakfast, and that she and the servers donate their time to the event.
This year, the restaurant's servers purchased enough candy and treats to put together gift bags for every children at the breakfast.
Patrolman Dearing said that he has seen the profound effects the program can have on the children.
He said that the program humanizes the police in the eyes of the children, who may have previously only seen them in a negative light.
He said that one year when he went to pick up a boy to go shopping, the boy initially refused to go with him. But when he dropped him back at home at the end of the day, he wanted to know when Dearing would be back to see him again.
In addition to the businesses that directly contributed to the success of the day, many businesses and individuals across the county contribute to the program, and every police department in the county was represented.

Family Christmas 2015

Tammy got me a camera for Christmas! Sadly, the battery pooped out after only three of so pictures, and it was too dark in the house to take decent phone pictures.
Hailey's doll house was overshadowed, for her, by a pink wig and a desktop easel. She also got a magnificent FROZEN drawing set from her Mommy, which rather overwhelmed her. She didn't make much of it, to Mommy's disappointment (Mommy worked hard to get that for her the store almost sold out and we has only seen them in that one store.) But when Mommy wasn't looking, she kept going back and looking at it, and touching the different elements (paints, crayons, stickers) through the package. She knew she wasn't going to be able to thoroughly enjoy it yet, so she sort of set it aside.
Warren's first gift he opened was a truck Hailey got for him, and he pretty much didn't care for those other packages. He had a brand new, rolling, noise making truck! Mommy ended up opening most of his packages for him while he played with his new truck.
He did get momentarily distracted by a set of tools, with a wrench and a drill -- the wrench wasn't big enough to open his sippy cup, though.
He also got one of those things where you put a ball at the top and it rolls down and around and he played with that for a long long time.
He got another truck with a tool kit on the back (boy did all those Santa know what lil boy would like?) that also made noise, and he carried that around for a minute, then parked it in the doll house, which gave all us grown ups a good laugh. Hailey barely glanced at it, and here Warren was turning it onto a parking garage! The joke was on us.
Hailey got a purple cheetah jacket that she fell i n love with and Warren got some building blocks to stack -- Ta Da!-- and they got other stuff but those are the highlights.
Of this morning. And for me; my perspective.
Would like to add that this was only possible with a lot of help from a lot of santas, and this is a way of publicly thanking them. Only they know who some of them are.

This night for you August 17, 2020 (3 months past)

I hear The peepers tonight, and The little green frogs that hide in The grass, and the groggy frogs from The flat topped roofs across The street.
In the trees between The main street houses and the Union St houses I hear many chattering insects. It sounds as if The treetops may be being used as pillows by an invisible giant. While he may not be seen, he can certainly be heard.
He is snoring, and the sound is berated through The treetops.
I don't know if it's different species of cicadas, or different sexes, but one group I'd the murmuring breath in, and then I hear the buzzing exhale until. It finally peters out. The quiet mumble again, and ten The loud breathy buzz.
It may be that there are Other insects - grasshoppers, katydids, mantises - that I no longer Recognise easily.
Bats are zipping and dipping around, as fast as a blink. Black Shadow's against an orange sky. Occasionally two will dance together for a moment before vanishing.
Yes nightfall is a joy to the ears and a discovery for eyes kept too inside by The heat and humidity. It is nice to sit outside and watch The day fade away.
But as the light darkens, the biters are coming out. No wonder the bats are batting around! The biting bugs like me too well, although I've yet to decide if I'm dessert or The main Course! They like me too well, for whatever reason. And I retreat into my refuge and try to share this peace with you.

When My girls get sick 9/4/19 (6 months before)

My goodness what a day!
Hailey is without a doubt her mother's daughter, in the realm of general health.
Hailey has had a sore throat/cold since late Sunday. Last night her jaw and neck started hurting and she hasn't been able to eat.
So Tam made her a Dr appointment, even though she had no fever or anything. We were thinking ear or sinus infection was making the jaw hurt.
She has strep throat and tonsillitis. Her right tonsil is so swollen it was displacing the uvula. The left tonsil is also swollen, not as much, but it is nearly touching the right tonsil.
Pretty well on the way to blocking her airway.
Swelling around the right tonsil Concerned them about an abscess and there was talk of ENT and Children's. Five Mile and Downtown. Tam hadn't been to bed yet after working last night.
They sent us straight to the ER in mt Orab. The Dr there ( Dr Gries) decided there is no abcess at this time and we've been saved, for now, from the longer trip. Hopefully it will not become necessary and the antibiotics will work quickly and effectively.
Just like Tammy, when this child gets sick, she gets SICK.
(AT office they looked at her record and said has it really been she hasn't been here since 2017? Yeah, because she doesn't get sick)
Poor thing is miserable with squeaky little voice and lots of hurting.
Man, she has my respect for not being a whiny ass puling little crybaby.

Ms. Moon man 9/9/19

The other night coming home from the fair I told Warren to look, the moon was smiling down at him.

He looked and exclaimed ," oh it is Mammaw! The moon is smiling a big smile !'

I said he sure is and Hailey is saying " WHAT? WHAT?"

Then Hailey informs us that the moon is a SHE.

Which is, of course, mythologically correct in most cases. So I agreed with her.

But, being somewhat evil, I spelled out my agreement.

The man in the moon is a she.

coat blanket

I have a quilted bedspread.
I got it out last night and covered Warren with it. He fingered the material and said
Mammaw it's a coat blanket

Like a Dragon: May 2013

Hailey saw the letter blocks when it's posted that someone played Words With Friends. She asked what's that, and I said it's a B. Do you know what sound B makes? She looked at me puzzled, and I encouraged her, Come on. Say It, c'mon and say It and you'll know what It says. B-b-b-b-b-B!
She said what's that to the next letter, and I said that's an R. What sound does arrrrr make?
She thought a Moment. R? Arrrrr? Rrrrawrrr, like a dragon!

broken truck, May 2012

Proud of my daughter Tam Collins at this moment. She finally got a good paycheck, and the truck broke down. (Isn't it funny how 'things' know?) She's currently sitting in a parking lot while truck is being worked on.
Do you know what she said to me?
She said, "Thank God the truck waited until I had a good check to do this. It would have been really bad any earlier."